Automobilista 2 September 2024 Development Update - The Road to V1.6 Pt2

I just did a 30 minutes race with it and I am speechless. What. A. Car... Can't wait to see what 1.6 has in store for us if you say that it's even better then the current version.

By the way what do you mean by "a chore to drive"? In all of my 50 hours in AMS2 I've never felt more connected to the car. I was in bliss for the whole half an hour, currently contemplating if I should go for another race (don't judge the rookie numbers btw. They are actively being pumped up )

 

"Chore" is my short form way of describing a car that has to be "managed" (too much) when driving it. It's still fun to do that (existing car), but the 1.6 version handles more naturally, and how I would expect a car with this configuration, weight distribution and characteristics (from watching footage of the races of the real car) to behave. I no longer have to think about what I am doing to get the car to co-operate with my wishes. It isn't simcade or easy to drive, and will punish mistakes, but it allows me to focus on racing or improving lap times instead of spending so much energy just trying to keep it on the track.

I live 100% in the beta, so it may be possible that my recollection is of the car in an earlier build than the current release. I only know that Sunday was the first time I ever drove it where I wanted to keep lapping just for the fun of it (like I would if someone let me hop into a real one at a real track). The improved AI also helped with that as they were incredibly difficult to pass, yet not doing dumb things or getting in my way. I had to build up some reserve in the tires (make sure they were not creeping above optimal) when attempting a pass. Haphazardly going at the AI every opportunity, like an overly-aggressive racer might, pushed the tires past their best grip and therefore reduced the chances of being able to pull off a pass. I had to manage the tires carefully, which I was able to do because I didn't need brain cycles to manage the car's handling. I could focus 100% on the actual racing. Stay close until tires were settled, then pounce (or attempt to pounce!). After making the pass, if I drove too aggressively to catch the next car ahead, again, I would have to settle down (myself and the tires) before attempting a pass. This is as real as sim racing gets.

 

And look and track temperatures too. On some tracks on the default date track temperature is too low and it takes longer to warm up the tires, on some other tracks on the default date track temperature is too high and tires can overheat quickly. Depending on the track one might want to experiment using a custom date when the track temperature isn't too high or too low.

 

To add further to that: Depending on track temps, changing tire pressure to increase or decrease friction and thus heat generation can be useful as well.
(Although I'm the first one to admit that I am usually to lazy to do that unless I am *really* struggling to achieve and maintain optimal tire temperature. )

 

My wife hates it, but I am one of that types that tweaks tire pressure for temperature and road conditions almost daily RL.

 

Yes, but not with the current 1.6 beta build!

 

Something im curious about, would you say that the tyre deg has to be managed "already" in like a 20-30 minute sprint race with GTE's or GT3's for example in 1.6 ?
Is the deg mostly related to degradation during "normal" driving or to overheating the tyres in long winded turns or sliding ?

Some tracks like f.e. Watkins are already quite hard on the front left in 1.5 and it tends to overheat quite a bit - does it feel like overheating as even more of an effect on tyre life than in 1.5 or is the effect similar but the overheating occurs faster ?
In 1.5 i feel like overheated rears have a more amplified effect on feeling than overheating fronts (feel more oversteer on slow speed exits but not really an effect of lack of front end) would you share the same sentiment in 1.6 ?

 

Question for the experienced here. My tyres never overheat during the race in 1.5 (Only if I spin out). What am I doing wrong? I even often get the info from the crew chief that my tyres are cold. When this occurs they are most often around 65 degrees but they show green on the HUD. Am I just not pushing the car enough? I run AI in the range from 97-100 depending on my knowledge of the track and I am more then able to keep up without any tyre issues. Is there maybe a setting somewhere that makes the game ignore carcass temps? (like in F1 games)

 

Thank you for this information.
This sounds so so good.

 

If your tyres are green, then they’re good

 

Generally tyres aren't getting as hot as they should be in 1.5. This will be very different in 1.6 where you actually have to use mediums or even hards at some of the quicker tracks with long sweepers.

 

When it comes to tyre pressures and optimal temperatures I usually try and pull from any real world data I can find with a quick Google.

Ex. According to Michelin their soft Pilot Sport GT slick has an operating temperature window of between 71°C and just over 104°C so the ideal temp would be between 80 and 90 C. They state the ideal pressure when hot is 30-35 PSI starting from a minimum pressure of 21 cold.

So that's what I'll aim for in the SIM, and so far it's been working well. It's a testament to how well Reiza are modelling their tyres, that real world data will work inside the sim.

Edit: Seems as though in 1.6 I'll have to revise my setups to be easier on the tyres, however

 

You mean we finally have a reason to split tyres and use mediums on one side and hards on the other??

Be still my beating heart! The strategist in me is jumping for joy

 

This is the kind of information that I would like to have in the game. Maybe in the car setup page. There are different tires from different eras. That would be a nice addition.

 

I've won an MP test doing exactly this ^^ (medium/softs tho).

 

Does this mean the AI will also be using mediums and hards? If not then that puts the player at a performance disadvantage.

 

Finally it won't be just soft overpowered tires only

 

Are you driving on the edge of grip almost daily as well or what's the point of this for you?

 

With a name like McClutch I think he is just trying to make his tires last as long as possible. The Scottish have a reputation for keeping their wallet closed for as long as possible.....

 

Tire temps and pressure coming plausibly into play is a good sign.